The Chicago Bears didn't use their most valuable draft picks to address their glaring needs on defense. However, general manager Ryan Poles still redeemed himself with some of the moves he made in the final two days of the event.
Notably, taking Texas' Malik Muhammad with the No. 124 pick may have been an actual master stroke. The oversized cornerback has been given a big role out of the gate because of the team's string of injuries, and he's looked the part so far in training camp.
According to ESPN insider Courtney Cronin, Muhammad has done a good job with the first team. With Kyler Gordon still nursing an injury and clearly far from 100 percent, he might be a legitimate candidate to be the team's starting nickel.
The Bears may have struck gold with Malik Muhammad
"Malik Muhammad continues to get a sizeable workload at nickel with the first-team defense. With Jaylon Jones sidelined and Josh Blackwell seemingly behind Muhammad on the depth chart, the rookie has stood out to coaches and shown signs of being able to hold his own at one of the most difficult positions for a young player," Cronin wrote.
Notably, having a Day 3 rookie start at such a crucial position is far from ideal. In this case, however, it might be the right call. While Muhammad can be outmuscled at times, his athleticism, twitchiness, and prowess in zone coverage might make him the best man for the job right now.
Also, finding a starter on Day 3 is always a big win, let alone one who can contribute right from the jump. He's not much of a ball-hawk, but he's a strong competitor who has a knack for disrupting pass catchers at the catch point.
According to Pro Football Focus (subscription required), Muhammad held quarterbacks to a 57.8 passer rating when targeted and gave up just 8.0 yards per reception. He was only flagged twice in his final season in college, and just two of the 21 receptions he allowed went for 12+ yards.
Muhammad still has to take some steps in man coverage, and, just like what happens to every rookie, there will be some growing pains along the way. The Bears won't have to rush him if Gordon gets back to full strength at some point, but even if that's the case, they'd probably benefit from giving him and his long arms a role in certain packages.
He wasn't much of a turnover machine in college, but we've seen how Bears DB coach Al Harris can work his magic. He's helped Trevon Diggs, DaRon Bland, Kevin Byard, and Nahshon Wright become ball-hawks, so there's no reason to believe he can't do the same with the Bears' new jumbo addition.
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